With the release of Episode 5, Euphoria Season 2 has reached the halfway point, and fans
have finally gotten the Rue-centric episode they've been waiting for.
For an hour, Emmy-winner Zendaya gives an award-worthy performance as Rue Bennett, a
relapsed addict who goes to terrifyingly extreme lengths to obtain her drug.
Rue is not only on a path to self-destruction in Episode 5, but she also has no qualms about
hurting the people who love and care about her the most.
Rue's relapse has caused so much damage that her screams of "sorry" have fallen on deaf
ears.
Worse, it appears that her apologies are solely made out of desperation.
The whole ending of Euphoria Season 2, Episode 5 can be found below, courtesy of Media Breakdown.
Breakdown of Rue
The first 15 minutes of Season 2, Episode 5 of Euphoria are terrible to watch as Rue
has a nervous breakdown.
Rue lashes out at her mother Leslie (Nika King) and younger sister Gia (Storm Reid)
after her mother challenges her about doing drugs, fueled by withdrawal, rage, and despair.
Rue appeared to believe her younger sister had caught her "smoking a little bit of pot,"
a falsehood Rue believed was smart to hide the fact that she was back on opioids, but
she couldn't be more wrong.
After Elliot (Dominic Fike) told Rue's mother the truth in Episode 4, it was Jules (Hunter
Schafer) who informed her about Rue's relapse.
Rue is so engulfed in her addiction that she can't recognize Jules' actions as anything
but treachery.
Rue not only berates her family, mocking her mother's upbringing and blaming her for her
heroin addiction, but she also tells Jules she regrets ever meeting her and tells her
there is no love between them, even calling her a "vampire" and accuses her of "sucking
the life out of everyone."
Rue spiraled even further after discovering her mother and sister had flushed all of the
cocaine down the toilet while searching the family home for the $10,000 suitcase of drugs
she pledged to sell for unknown drug boss Laurie (Martha Kelly).
Instead of becoming more angry, she retreated inwards and became perpetually infantile,
sobbing out "sorry" and pleading for her mother and father's assistance.
Leslie eventually persuaded Rue to get in the car and drive to the hospital as she sobbed,
but Rue's change of heart seemed too good to be true.
Cassie is apprehended, and Rue flees.
Rue (who was strategically seated in the back seat) began to talk about killing herself
as Leslie drove to the hospital.
She went into full panic mode as she monologued in the back of the car, recognizing exactly
where she was going.
Rue then ran out of the car onto the busy road, narrowly avoiding being hit by oncoming
cars.
Rue went to Fez's (Angus Cloud) house seeking a place to stay and to get her next heroin
fix because her family couldn't find her and Jules and Elliot (Dominic Fike) were nowhere
to be found.
When Fez didn't respond, she went to her childhood best friend Lexi's (Maude Apatow) house.
Rue showed up, claiming to be sick and needing to use the bathroom, but Lexi's mother saw
right through Rue's ruse and contacted Rue's mother.
Meanwhile, Rue was upstairs, stealing some of Lexi's jewels to sell in order to repay
Laurie for the $10,000 she owed her.
Rue made the twisted decision to focus attention on Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), who honestly provided
Rue encouragement and guidance to tackle her recovery "one day at a time" as her mother
and friends staged an intervention.
Rue turned to Cassie, who was sitting in a pool of perspiration on the stairwell, and
demanded, "How long have you been f****** Nate Jacobs?"
Rue then admitted that she witnessed Cassie and Nate (Jacob Elordi) kissing in his car
just after the New Year, giving Maddy (Alexa Demie), her closest friend and Nate's ex-girlfriend,
more ammunition to lash out at Cassie.
Audiences may have noted that Cassie did not admit to sleeping with Nate, but Maddy can
tell when her best friend is lying.
It's a sad that viewers didn't get to see the entire extent of Maddy and Cassie's feud,
but maybe the consequences will be strongly featured in Episode 6.
Meanwhile, when everyone's attention was drawn to Cassie and Maddy, and Cassie ran up the
stairs, Rue took advantage of the opportunity to flee, and she wasn't sorry.
She needed to flee, and no one could stop her.
Rue is on the move (again)
Rue tries Fez's address again after escaping Lexi's residence.
When Fez finally answers the door and allows Rue in, he quickly kicks her out when he discovers
her digging through his drug stash.
Rue verbally criticizes Fez and pushes him against the wall, unable to realize that he
is attempting to protect her.
Fez yelled back, "Hell no, not today," and pulled Rue out onto the street, crying out
"I'm sorry," leaving her entirely alone.
Rue then went to Maddy's babysitter's house and grabbed her jewels as well as roughly
$2,000 in cash.
She was apprehended, but she escaped with her life because her husband was too slow
to pull the trigger on his gun.
Rue walked the streets with nowhere to go and the dreadful withdrawal symptoms, ultimately
running into the police, who were properly suspicious of her, especially when she puked
all over the pavement.
Rue made another dash for it, this time from the cops, with thousands of dollars in jewelry
and $2,000 in cash in her pockets.
She managed to elude them, but she ended herself at Laurie's house, the last place she should
be given her frail state.
Rue apologized to Laurie upon her arrival, but she is simply sorry she was taken off
guard.
Lori stayed composed throughout, knowing full well that Rue would never be able to repay
the $10,000 she owed.
Laurie looks after Rue, and when she begged Lori for something to help her cope with the
withdrawal symptoms, Lori gave her a morphine shot, knocking her out.
Laurie threatens Rue with various methods to settle her debt before she is given the
morphine.
Rue is fortunate to be a woman, Lori noted, because women "still have something others
want" when they don't have money.
Is Laurie considering selling Rue for sex as a means of recouping the $10,000?
It isn't said specifically, but when Rue awoke the next morning to find herself trapped within
Lori's house (padlocks and all) alongside several other people who have probably failed
to pay their debt, it is evident Lori has a nasty plan for Rue.
Fortunately, Rue was able to flee Lori's hell-hole through an open window, but with $10,000 in
debt, it will be a miracle if Rue walks away unscathed.
Rue is still on the run by the end of Euphoria Episode 5.
There is, however, a ray of hope that she made it home after all.
Rue's mother is spotted at home as the program comes to a conclusion.
She nearly appears to be waiting for something, and as she hears their front door open, she
quickly screams out, "Rue?"
but has Rue arrived?
Next week on Euphoria, find out.